Translation Process

Assessing your project

No two projects are ever the same, but whatever the project, no matter how big or small, we employ strict standards to ensure it is expertly translated, thoroughly checked and free of errors. The workflow for each project will generally follow these steps:

Groundwork

The first step in any translation project is to determine the purpose and intended audience so that we can assemble a suitable translation team. We will work with you to determine…

Who is your target audience?

What do you hope to achieve from the translation?

What cultural and site-specific differences exist between your home and target markets?

Once we’ve gotten a good feel for the purpose of the project, we comb trough your documents to look for specific issues that must be further researched in order to produce an accurate, complete, and natural rendering in the target language. In particular, we keep a sharp eye out for the following:

Company-specific and field-specific terminology

Applicability of text to target market

Cultural phenomena that might affect the rendering of the translation

Any concepts that should be introduced, elaborated upon or discarded to make it appropriate for the target audience

Nailing down these preliminary issues is essential to getting the translation right, so we devote plenty of time to working them out.

Glossaries

The next step is to assemble a glossary of terminology for the project. Terms must be chosen appropriately so that they meet any pre-existing standards you may have. This step is essential in ensuring consistency with your legacy and current materials. We therefore work closely with you to develop complete lists of company lingo and other internal terminology used in the project.

Translation

When all of the background research is complete, it’s time to translate your project. From the Groundwork stage, we are able to determine what specific expertise the translators will need, and assemble a translation team accordingly. Each team will consist of, at a minimum, a lead translator, an editor/proofer and a project manager. Additionally, at least one Subject Matter Expert (“SME”) will be involved (whenever possible, the translator herself) and when the project requires, a graphic designer. Everyone on the team works closely together to ensure that each phrase is being interpreted properly, correct terminology is used, style is appropriate and any typographical errors are caught and removed.

Graphics/DTP Work

Many projects, including web sites, Flash files, Word documents and PowerPoint presentations to name a few, contain text in graphical format. This text must be translated and then carefully reproduced by a graphic designer. We use designers versed in the typographical conventions of the target language to re-create the graphics. Our designers pay close attention to details such as observing correct target-language hyphenation, using appropriate fonts and looking out for graphical elements that might clash with the target audience’s sensibilities.

Staging and Review

After your files have been translated and edited, graphics have been recreated, and all technical issues worked out, we submit a draft of the documents to you for your review. Web site projects will be uploaded to a staging server (either yours or ours, according to your preference) where an additional review will be performed by the translation team to ensure consistency and identify any un-intended consequences that may have crept in during the site development phase.

Follow-up

Any issues identified in the Staging and Review phase are addressed and the documents are re-worked one more time before being submitted to you. Although this is often the end of a translation project, there are many times when more assistance is needed to keep up with changing content and changing priorities. We are always at your side to help keep you on top of things, even after the bill has been paid.